Snap trap with set-prevent interference member and rodent orienting side walls

ABSTRACT

A chip-clip type snap trap for rodents is provided that includes a bait cup covered by a bait cap that prevents setting of the trap when the bait cap is in place, high side walls to properly orient a rodent before trap activation, and grip elements on the lid and base to prevent finger slippage when setting the trap. The lid and base of the trap snap together without the need for pins, fasteners or tools, providing for easy and cost-effective manufacture.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.16/589,168, filed Oct. 1, 2019.

BACKGROUND AND FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is related to the field of rodent control and,more particularly, to a “chip-clip” style snap trap for rodents.

DESCRIPTION

Snap traps like the wooden VICTOR® brand mouse trap have been usedeffectively to capture mice for decades. More recently, molded plasticsnap traps in various styles and sizes have become commerciallyavailable. These molded plastic snap traps include the “chip-clip” styletrap that has upper and lower jaws that come together in a lockingposition at a trapping end to grip a mouse, the jaws being placed in theset position by squeezing the opposite ends of the jaws together to openthe trapping end in an action like that of a clothespin or “chip lip”commonly used to temporarily close the open end of a bag of chips whenthe jaws are released to return the trapping end to the locking orclosed position.

Due to the spring bias that must be overcome when pressing the settingends of the jaws of a rodent snap trap together, chip-clip style snaptraps can be difficult to set without finger slippage. In addition,chip-clip style snap traps may be triggered when the rodent is notproperly positioned relative to the jaws, increasing the number ofrodent escapes.

A further problem can arise in connection with snap traps that arepre-baited with a quantity of bait covered by a seal or cap forfreshness. These traps can inadvertently be placed in a set position bythe user without first removing the seal or bait cap, resulting indecreased rodent interaction with the trap. In addition, re-baiting somepre-baited traps is complicated by difficulty accessing the bait cup orthe potential loss of the bait cup in those designs where the bait cupis fully removed to add bait. Finally, many chip-clip style snap trapsare complex in structure, making them difficult and/or expensive tomanufacture and assemble.

Accordingly, a need exists for a chip-clip style snap trap thatovercomes the foregoing problems.

SUMMARY

In view of the foregoing, the present invention is directed to achip-clip style snap trap for rodents. The snap trap includes a base anda pivoting lid that together form a pair of jaws at a trapping end ofthe trap, the jaws coming together to clamp on the rodent when the trapis triggered. The trap is set by squeezing the base and lid together atthe gripping end of the trap opposite the jaws, with the lid beingbiased toward the closed position by a spring or the like.

To give the user good traction when setting the trap, the gripping endincludes tactile elements, preferably configured as bumps and/orchevron-style gripping surfaces on both the base and the lid. As usedherein, the terms “front” and “forward” are used with reference to thetrapping end of the trap while “rear” and “rearward” refer to thesetting or gripping end of the trap.

A setting and trigger assembly includes a trigger hood and lever armthat are each pivotally mounted to the base and work together to set thetrap as will be further described hereinafter. A pre-baited bait cup ispositioned under the trigger hood and, when configured for sale, the cupis covered by a bait cap for freshness. When the bait cap is in place,the trap cannot be set, thereby preventing the problem of inadvertentsetting and placement of the trap for use without having first removedthe bait cap. In addition, according to a preferred embodiment the baitcap includes a tail that protrudes from the front of the trap to drawattention to the cap and facilitate removal thereof.

The pre-baited bait cup is preferably formed integrally with a bait doorthat is pivotally coupled to the bottom of the base, with the baseincluding an opening through which the bait cup projects upwardly whenthe door is closed. When opened, the bait door swings downwardly, awayfrom the bottom of the base while remaining hingedly connected thereto,to enable the bait cup to be refilled and then can be pivoted upwardlyso that the bait cup protrudes through the opening and is positioneddirectly underneath the trigger hood. The free end of the door issecured in the closed position against a recessed surface on theunderside of the base, preferably with a snap fit connection.

The base is provided with two substantially mirror-image side walls thatextend longitudinally from the front to the rear of the base. The heightof the side walls is greater near the forward end of the base, with theupper edges of the side walls sloping upwardly from a front edge of thetrap and then downwardly to form a peak positioned on either side of thebait cup. The height of the side walls and the positioning of the peaks,as well as the configuration of the trigger hood positioned over thebait cup, serve to properly orient the rodent for capture as the rodentcan only access the bait from the front of the trap and must besufficiently committed inside the trap, thereby producing optimalpositioning between the upper and lower jaws upon trap activation.

The lid preferably has a curved upper surface joined with side wallsthat follow the sloped contour of the base side walls to create a hookedprofile in which the height of the lid side walls at a point in verticalalignment with the peak is approximately 25% that of the height of thebase side walls at the peak. The height of the lid side walls increasesrearwardly to follow the downward slope of the base side wallsrearwardly of the peak forming a sloped contour. The alignment of theside wall contours between the lid and the base create a streamlined andlow profile trap while yet gaining the improved rodent orientingfunction of the base side wall height on either side of the bait cup.

The trap is also readily assembled with the lid and the base snappingtogether without the need for any tools, metal pins or fasteners. Thesnapped connections also act as the pivots for the back and forthrotation of the lid on the base, simplifying the design and making thetrap safe, cost effective to produce, and easy to use.

Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide achip-clip style snap trap that includes a base and a pivoting lid thattogether form a pair of jaws at a trapping end of the trap, the jawscoming together to clamp on the rodent when the trap is triggered, thetrap being set by squeezing the base and lid together at the grippingend of the trap opposite the jaws, both the base and lid includinggripping surfaces that prevent finger slippage and enable the trap to beset with one hand.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clip stylesnap trap in accordance with the preceding object in which the trapincludes a setting and trigger assembly having a latch mechanism whichengages a trigger mechanism to retain the upper jaw in a raised positionspaced from the lower jaw when the trap is set by squeezing the settingend of the lid toward the base rearward end and to release the upper jawto return under spring bias to a lowered position in abutment with thelower jaw when actuated by a rodent, the trap including an interferencemember associated with the trigger mechanism that prevents the latchmechanism from engaging the trigger mechanism until the interferencemechanism has been moved away from the trigger mechanism.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clipstyle snap trap in accordance with the preceding object in which thetrigger mechanism includes a trigger hood mounted on the base andpositioned over a bait cup, the bait cup preferably being pre-baited andclosed with a cap prior to use for bait freshness, the bait cap beingconfigured to act as an interference member to prevent the trap frombeing set until the cap is removed.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clipstyle snap trap in accordance with the preceding object in which thebait cap includes a tail that protrudes from the front end of the trapto draw attention to the cap and assist in removal thereof.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clipstyle snap trap in accordance with at least one of the preceding objectsthat includes a pivoting bait door formed integrally with the bait cupand permanently mounted to the bottom of the base by a pivotingconnection, the pivotal movement of the bait door providing ease ofaccess to the bait cup for re-baiting while ensuring that no trap partsare lost either in use or while re-baiting.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide achip-clip style snap trap in accordance with at least one of thepreceding objects in which the base has high side walls having upperedges that slope upwardly from the front edge of the trap and thenprogress downwardly to form a peak positioned on either side of the baitcup, the side walls serving to properly orient the rodent prior totriggering, thereby increasing trap efficacy and reducing falsetriggers.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clip stylesnap trap in accordance with the preceding object in which the ratiobetween the height of the base side walls at their peak and the heightof the lid side walls at a point vertically aligned with the peak isapproximately 4:1.

Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clipstyle snap trap in accordance with at least one of the two immediatelypreceding objects in which the base side walls at their peak are tallerthan and aligned near the front wall of the trigger hood.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a chip-clipstyle snap trap in accordance with at least one of the preceding objectsin which the base and lid snap together without the need for tools, pinsor fasteners, making the trap easy to assemble and cost effective toproduce.

Still yet a further object of the present invention is to provide achip-clip style snap trap that is economical to manufacture and use, androbust and effective in operation.

These together with other objects and advantages which will becomesubsequently apparent reside in the details of construction andoperation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, whereinlike numerals refer to like parts throughout.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a snap trap with a removable baitcap as configured prior to use according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear perspective view of the snap trap shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the snap trap shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 4 is a side view of the snap trap shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the snap trap shown in

FIG. 5A is a bottom perspective view of the lid shown in FIG. 5 .

FIG. 6 is an assembled front perspective view of the snap trap shown inFIG. 1 in the set position following removal of the bait cap.

FIG. 7 is a rear perspective view of the snap trap in the set positionas shown in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 8 is a side view of the snap trap in the set position as shown inFIG. 6 .

FIG. 9 is a cut-away side perspective view of the snap trap in the setposition as shown in FIG. 6 .

FIG. 10 is a cut-away side perspective view of the snap trap shown inFIG. 1 illustrating the relationship between the bait cap underneath thetrigger hood and the lever arm.

FIG. 11 is a front perspective view of the snap trap shown in FIG. 10while attempting to set the trap with the bait cap in place.

FIG. 12 is a cut-away side perspective view of the snap trap shown inFIG. 11 illustrating the interference between the bait cap and thetrigger hood which prevents the lever arm from reaching the set positionatop the ledge.

FIG. 13 is a bottom perspective view of the snap trap according to thepresent invention with the bait door open to rebait the bait cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

It is to be understood that the embodiment described herein is disclosedby way of illustration only. It is not intended that the invention belimited in its scope to the details of construction and arrangement ofcomponents set forth in the following description or illustrated in thedrawings. Also, in describing the preferred embodiments, specificterminology will be resorted to for the sake of clarity. It is to beunderstood that each specific term includes all technical equivalentswhich operate in a similar manner to accomplish a similar purpose.

As shown in the assembled views of FIGS. 1-4 and the exploded view ofFIG. 5 , the present invention is directed to a chip-clip style snaptrap for rodents. The snap trap, generally designated by referencenumeral 10, includes a base 12 and a top or lid 14 which form an alignedpair of clamping jaws. The base 12 includes a horizontal platform 16with two matching vertically extending side walls 18 joined by anupwardly directed front wall 20 at the forward end of the base 12. Theupwardly directed front wall 20 forms a lower jaw, generally designatedby reference numeral 22, having an upper edge 24. When configured as amouse trap, the base is preferably between about 3.5″ and about 4.5″ inlength, and most preferably about 4″ in length, as measured along thelongitudinal axis L (see FIG. 4 ). However, the snap trap 10 accordingto the present invention can also be sized with larger dimensions andconfigured as a rat trap.

Therefore, while specific dimensional description herein is directed tothe mouse trap embodiment, it is to be understood that comparablestructural features are also applicable to and incorporated within therat trap version with like function and operational effectiveness.

The lid 14 is pivotally mounted to the base 12 on an attachmentstructure generally designated by reference numeral 26 (see FIG. 5 )that is positioned between the front end generally designated byreference numeral 28 of the base and a rear end generally designated byreference numeral 30 of the base. As can be seen in FIG. 5A, theunderside of the lid, generally designated by reference numeral 15, isprovided with attachment tabs 27 that are secured with a snap fit withinthe apertures 25 of attachment structure 26 (see FIGS. 9, 10 and 12 ) topivotally secure the lid to the base.

The forward end of the lid 14 forms an upper jaw generally designated byreference numeral 32. A lower edge 34 of the upper jaw 32 (see FIG. 8 )is complementary in shape with the upper edge 24 of the lower jaw 22 sothat the upper and lower jaws meet together to form the front ortrapping end 28 of the snap trap 10. The lid is biased, such as by acoil spring 36, to a closed position in which the lower edge 34 of theupper jaw 32 and the upper edge 24 of the lower jaw 22 are held inabutment when the trap is tripped and empty as shown in FIGS. 1-4 .

At the rear or gripping end 30 of the trap, the lid includes a settingplatform 40 that is pressed toward the rearward end of the base platform16, with the lid 14 pivoting on the attachment structure 26, to separatethe jaws and, with the aid of a setting and trigger assembly generallydesignated by reference numeral 25 (see FIG. 5 ), place the trap in aset position as shown in FIGS. 6-9 . An aperture 42 with a catch surface44 is formed near the rear edge of the setting platform 40.

As shown in FIG. 5 , the base platform 16 includes a trigger mechanismmounting structure 50 and a latch mechanism mounting structure 52 forpivotally securing a trigger mechanism generally designated by referencenumeral 54 and a latch mechanism generally designated by referencenumeral 56, respectively, to the base platform 16. The aperture 42,catch surface 44, trigger mechanism 54 and latch mechanism 56 togetherconstitute the setting and trigger assembly 25.

In addition, the base platform 16 includes an opening 58 to receive abait cup 60 formed on a bait door 70. As configured for sale, the baitcup is positioned in opening 58, pre-baited with a quantity of bait andsealed with a bait cap, generally designated by reference numeral 62,for freshness. The bait cap 62 includes a cover 63 and a tab or tail 64that preferably projects from the front of the trap, as shown in FIGS. 1and 10-12 , to both remind the user of the presence of the bait cap andto assist in removal of the cap prior to setting of the trap 10.

According to the present invention, the rear part of the bait cap 62acts, in conjunction with the pivotally mounted trigger mechanism 54 andlatch mechanism 56, as an interference member, generally designated byreference numeral 61, to prevent the trap from being set until the baitcap 62 has been removed as will be further discussed hereinafter. Thebait cap 62 is preferably made of a different color than the trap tofurther prompt the user to remove the cap prior to attempting use of thetrap.

The trigger mechanism 54 is embodied as a trigger hood 55 having asubstantially planar upper wall 72 and a front wall 74, and two opposedside walls 76 that are substantially perpendicular to the upper wall 72to form the hood structure. An arm 78, integrally formed with the hood55, extends downwardly from the underside of the upper wall 72 adjacentthe rear end thereof and includes a rearwardly directed ledge 80 (seeFIGS. 9, 10 and 12 ). The rear end of the trigger hood 55 is pivotallymounted on the trigger mechanism mounting structure 50 to enable thefront end of the hood having the front wall 74 to be lifted up from alowered position by pivoting the hood 55 on the trigger mechanismmounting structure 50. The front wall 74 of the trigger hood 55 includesa cutout 82, preferably semicircular in shape, that provides an accessopening to the underside of the hood even when the front wall 74 of thehood is in the lowered position, best seen in FIG. 6 . When in thelowered position, the hood side walls 76 and the front wall 74 areadjacent to, or rest upon, an upper surface 84 of the base platform 16.

The latch mechanism 56 includes an elongated lever arm 57 having amounting end generally designated by reference numeral 86 with a catch88 and a trigger end 90. The mounting end 86 is pivotally coupled to thelatch mechanism mounting structure 52 which is positioned at the rearend 30 of the base. The catch 88 is located at the rear end of the leverarm 57. The trigger end 90 is positioned on the front end of the leverarm 57 and engages with the rearwardly directed ledge 80 on the hood arm78 to place the trap in the set position when the setting platform 40 ofthe lid 14 is pressed downwardly toward the base platform 16 after thebait cap 62 has been removed.

More particularly, to set the trap the bait cap 62 is removed by liftingupwardly on the tail 64 to raise the cover 63 and then pulling the capforwardly and off the bait cup 60. The setting platform 40 is thensqueezed toward the base platform 16 so that the catch 88 passes throughthe aperture 42 in the setting platform 40 to bring an upper surface 87of the mounting end 86, located forwardly of the catch 88 (see FIG. 10), into contact with a lower surface 41 (see FIG. 12 ) of the settingplatform 40. This contact pushes the mounting end 86 of the lever arm 57down which raises the trigger end 90. As the trigger end 90 is lifted,it pushes on the rear of the trigger hood 55, causing it to pivot on themounting structure 50, which lifts the front wall 74 of the trigger hoodslightly to allow the trigger end 90 to pass over the rearwardlydirected ledge 80 while, at the same time, the catch 88 engages with thecatch surface 44 on the lid. Once the trigger end 90 of the lever arm 57has moved past the ledge 80, the front of the trigger hood drops back tothe lowered position. As squeezing pressure on the setting platform isreleased, the trigger end 90 is captured by, or rests upon, the top ofthe ledge 80, as shown in FIG. 9 , with the catch 88 in engagement withthe catch surface 44 on the lid (see FIGS. 7 and 9 ) to hold the trap inthe set position.

When the bait cap 62 is in place, the foregoing sequence is preventeddue to engagement between the interference member 61 of the bait capcover 63 and the trigger mechanism 54.

Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 10-12 , the interference member 61 onthe bait cap cover 63 engages the bottom edge 79 of the depending arm 78to prevent the trigger hood from pivoting sufficiently to enable thetrigger end 90 of the lever arm 57 to clear the ledge 80, as best seenin FIG. 12 . As a result, the trigger end cannot be secured on the ledge80 and the catch 88 is not caught upon the catch surface 44, preventingthe trap from being placed in the set position with the bait cap inplace over the bait cup.

In addition to the interference member 61 shown herein, it is alsoanticipated that the rodent trap 10 according to the present inventioncould be provided with an alternate structure configured to prevent thetrap from being set. Such an interference member, as would be mountedsimilarly within the trap, can provide a safety feature to prevent achild from setting the trap and, particularly in the case of a rat trapwith its greater closing force, being placed at risk of injury shouldthe trap be accidentally tripped while being handled.

The two matching side walls 18 of the base 12 extend longitudinally fromthe upwardly directed front wall 20 to the rearward end 30 of the base.The height of the base side walls 18 is greater near the forward end ofthe base, with upper edges 92 of the side walls 18 sloping upwardly andthen downwardly to form a peak 94 positioned on either side of the baitcup 60.

More specifically, it is preferred that an imaginary straight line drawnbetween the apexes 93 of the peaks 94 of the two opposed side walls 18would intersect with, or be just slightly rearward of, a front edge ofthe bait cup. In this way, the side walls 18 serve to properly orientthe rodent for capture.

Particularly, the rodent can only access the bait by stepping over thefront wall 20, which brings the rodent into longitudinal alignment withthe longitudinal axis L of the trap for optimal positioning between theupper and lower jaws 32, 22 upon trap activation.

As best seen in FIG. 8 , the lid has a curved upper surface 96 joinedwith lid side walls 98 that follow the sloped contour of the base sidewalls 18 to create a hooked profile (see FIGS. 4 and 8 ). The height ofthe lid side walls 98 at a point in vertical alignment with the apex 93of the peaks 94 is approximately 25% that of the height of the base sidewalls 18 at the peak apex 93. Hence, as shown representatively in FIG. 4, the ratio between the height of the base side walls HB at their peakapex 93 and the height of the lid side walls HL at a point verticallyaligned with the peak apex is between about 5:1 and 3:1, and preferablyis approximately 4:1.

In addition, the base side walls at their peak are taller than, and arealigned near, the front wall 74 of the trigger hood 54. This proximallyaligned relationship between the front or trip portion of the triggerhood and the apex 93 on the base side walls further enhances the rodentorienting function of the side walls at the point of trap activation.

The height of the lid side walls increases rearwardly to follow thedownward slope of the upper edges 92 of the base side walls rearwardlyof the peak. With the complementary slopes of the lid and base sidewalls, the trap maintains a low profile, having a trapping end height inthe mouse trap version of less than 2.5″ when set, while yet gaining theimproved rodent orienting function of the base side wall height oneither side of the bait cup.

Trap activation occurs as follows. The rodent enters the front of thetrap between the separated jaws 22, 32 and is drawn to the cutout 82 inthe front wall 74 of the trigger hood 55 by the smell of the bait in thebait cup 60. Since the bait is covered by the hood, the rodent attemptsto reach the bait by lifting upwardly on the front of the trigger hood,causing it to pivot. This upward pivoting movement releases the triggerend 90 of the lever arm 57 from the ledge 80 on the back of the hood andallows the catch 88 to disengage from the catch surface 44 on the lid14, freeing the upper and lower jaws to snap together under the tensionof spring 36 to capture and hold the rodent.

As shown in FIG. 13 , the bait cup 60 is formed on a bait door 70 thatis pivotally coupled to the bottom of the base platform 16 on hinges100. To provide clearance for the door 70 and hinges 100, the door ismounted in a recessed wall area 105 to the bottom 17 of the baseplatform 16. To open, the bait door 70 swings downwardly, away from thebottom 17 of the base platform 16, to enable the bait cup to be exposedfor refilling and then can be pivoted upwardly so that the bait cup 60protrudes through the opening 58 and is positioned directly underneaththe hood 55 of the trigger mechanism 54 (see FIG. 9 ). The free end 102of the door 70 is preferably secured against the recessed wall area 105with a snap fit connection 104.

The trap according to the present invention is also easy to assemble dueto the snap fit coupling of the lid 14 to the attachment structure 26 onthe base 12. As noted earlier herein, the tabs 27 on the underside 15 ofthe lid are received within the apertures 25 formed by the baseattachment structure 26. Once snapped into place, the lid is secured tothe base while being pivotal thereon between the set and trippedpositions. With this easy mounting configuration, the trap can bereadily assembled without pins or fasteners and without the use oftools.

Accordingly, the snap trap according to the present invention is easy togrip and set without finger slippage. The height of the base side wallson either side of the bait cup aligns the rodent properly to reduce thenumber of rodent escapes. Further, the trap cannot be set without firstremoving the interference member, herein embodied as the cap on the baitcup, thus preventing the inadvertent placement of a set trap in whichthe bait is still sealed. In addition, the hinged bait door facilitatesre-baiting while keeping the bait cup connected to the trap base.

Finally, as previously stated herein, the snap trap according to thepresent invention can be sized for use with mice or, alternatively, maybe constructed with larger dimensions and configured as a rat trap.Whether sized and configured for mice or rats, the rodent traps havecomparable structural features as have been described herein and operatewith like function and operational effectiveness.

The foregoing descriptions and drawings should be considered asillustrative only of the principles of the invention. The invention maybe configured in a variety of shapes and sizes and is not limited by thedimensions of the preferred embodiment. Numerous applications of thepresent invention will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

Therefore, it is not desired to limit the invention to the specificexamples disclosed or the exact construction and operation shown anddescribed. Rather, all suitable modifications and equivalents may beresorted to, falling within the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:
 1. A rodent snap trap comprising: a base having anattachment structure, a front wall and two longitudinally directed,generally vertical side walls that extend from the front wall to arearward end of the base, said front wall forming a lower jaw; a lidpivotally mounted to the base on the attachment structure, the lidincluding a trapping end having an upper jaw that engages with saidlower jaw when the trap is tripped, and a setting end opposite thetrapping end; a setting and trigger assembly configured to retain theupper jaw in a raised position spaced from the lower jaw when the trapis set by squeezing the setting end of the lid toward the base rearwardend and to release the upper jaw to return under spring bias to alowered position in abutment with the lower jaw when actuated by arodent; a bait cup positioned on the base; and a height of saidlongitudinally directed, generally vertical base side walls slopingupwardly from the front wall and then downwardly to form a slopedcontour having a peak defining the highest point of each side wall, thepeaks positioned on either side of and aligned in a lateral directionwith the bait cup, said height of the base side walls at the peakproperly orienting a rodent for capture by forcing a rodent to pass overthe front wall in alignment with a longitudinal axis of the trap toaccess to the bait.
 2. The rodent snap trap as set forth in claim 1,wherein the lid has a curved upper surface joined with lid side wallsthat follow the sloped contour of the base side walls to create a hookedprofile, a height of the lid side walls at a point in vertical alignmentwith an apex of the peaks being approximately 25% that of a height ofthe base side walls at the peak apex.
 3. The rodent snap trap as setforth in claim 1, wherein the bait cup is covered with a bait cap priorto use, said bait cap configured to prevent said setting and triggerassembly from setting the trap when said bait cap is on said bait cup.